Sports
How Aline Alexa Transitioned from Dance to Ironman Triathlon
From a childhood on stage to casual laps in the park, the athlete details her journey to her Ironman 70.3 debut.
Aline Alexa looks back on transitioning from dance to road running, discovering cycling, and building technical swimming skills to complete her first Ironman 70.3 triathlon.
Aline Alexa's athletic journey began far from the pavement and open water. Before lining up at endurance start lines, dance was her main focus during her childhood in Mexico. When she moved to Brazil at age 14, Aline decided to leave the stage behind, but she carried forward sharp body awareness and strict discipline—qualities she credits as essential to maintaining a record free of muscle injuries and cramps.
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First steps in running and CrossFit
Settled in São Paulo and living near Ibirapuera Park, walking became the main way to explore the city alongside her mother. Gradually, watching runners in the park sparked her curiosity. The beginning was completely casual: watch-free laps around the park, treadmill runs in her apartment building, and celebrating her first continuous 3 km without worrying about pace or exact mileage.
Seeking greater intensity, Aline took up CrossFit for about three years. The sport helped develop her competitive drive, work capacity against the clock, and technical strength. At the same time, an affinity for spin classes and running workouts embedded in training blocks solidified her desire to push further into endurance events.
First half marathon and the move to cycling
The first major road milestone came with a personal goal: running 21 km on her birthday in May. Supported by a coach who analyzed her running form and provided custom training plans, Aline completed her first half marathon along the Rio Pinheiros bike path (Bruno Covas Park). The feeling of crossing the 21 km mark paved the way for new athletic challenges.
The next step was transitioning to cycling. Passionate about travel and spin classes, Aline joined the BR sports coaching group at Ibirapuera Park to learn road cycling. Because of her petite frame and the search for an affordable option, the opportunity arose to buy a carbon time-trial (TT) bike from an athlete moving abroad. With a triathlon bike ready, all that remained was tackling the swim.
From a 13-meter pool to her first Ironman 70.3
Although she had basic open-water swimming ability and had briefly trained in a short 13-meter pool years earlier, Aline had to learn formal swim technique from scratch. Training at the Companhia Atlética pool (Kansas branch) under coach Silvio provided the stroke correction and consistency needed for endurance volume.
Her progression unfolded step by step: drills to master the TT bike, moving from running shoes to cycling cleats, race simulations, sprint races, and several Olympic-distance events over two years. Her long-course debut officially took place in 2023 at Ironman 70.3 Florianópolis (Ingleses race), cementing a journey built on patience and consistency.
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